Department of Physics The LNM IIT, Jaipur

Superconductivity: Basics and Applications

Programme: B.Tech. (Fourth year) Year: 2018-19 Semester:1st

Course: Open Elective Credits:4 Hours: 40

Course overview:

Superconductivity is one of the most exciting emergent phenomena in electronic systems. Attempts to its
understanding give rise to various novel physical ideas and it opens the doors for many new generation
technologies, e.g. Maglev train, Superconducting chip and many others.

This course is designed mainly for the final year B.Tech. students to give an overview of this novel
phenomena. Focus will be on giving an exposer of various properties of a superconductor and its
possible applications. Discussions will be based on phenomenological theories to avoid complex
mathematics. Also the newly discovered exotic superconductors and the possible applications will be
introduced.

Following topics will be covered in this course:

1) Introduction, description of electrons in solids

2) Superconductivity: Introduction to properties of superconductors, Thermodynamics and

electrodynamics of superconductors, Type I and Type II superconductors, the flux lattice

3) Superconducting phase transitions: Landau Ginzburg theory

4) Microscopic descriptions: correlations lengths, isotope effect, Cooper pairs and BCS theory.

5) Introduction to High Tc superconductors and possible applications.

Prerequisites:

Thermodynamics and Basic solid state physics.

Course outcomes:

1. Students will be familiar with the basic notion of Superconductivity.

2. They should be able to describe the properties of superconductors within mathematically simpler
phenomenological theories.
3. They will be familiar with newly discovered exotic superconductors.
4. Also they will be exposed to its possible applications.

Course Topics:

Topics Lecture Hours

Introduction and description of electrons in metal 5

Superconductivity: Introduction to properties of

superconductors, Thermodynamics and electrodynamics of
15
superconductors, Type I and Type II superconductors, the
flux lattice

Course Design Template version 1.0

Department of Physics The LNM IIT, Jaipur

Superconducting phase transitions: Landau Ginzburg theory 5

Microscopic explanations: correlations lengths, isotope
10
effect, Cooper pairs, BCS theory.
Introduction to High Tc superconductors and possible
applications. 5

Total 40

References

1. Superconductivity: A Very Short Introduction: Stephen J. Blundell

2. Superconductivity, 3rd Edition: Charles Poole, Horacio Farach, Richard Creswick
and Ruslan Prozorov.
3. Introduction to Superconductivity: Second Edition by Michael Tinkham (Author)
4. http://www.supraconductivite.fr/en/index.php
5. Lecture notes will be provided and various Journal papers will be suggested in due
time.

Evaluation Methods:

Item Weightage
Quizzes 20
Midterm 30
Final Examination 50

Prepared By: Dr. Nabyendu Das

Last Update: 19th June, 2018

Course Design Template version 1.0